Uluwatu Temple and Beaches Walk

By Vicky · Published Jul. 21st, 2022 · Updated Nov. 21st, 2022

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Explore Uluwatu Temple and the many beautiful beaches of Bukit Peninsula on this walk along tracks, clifftops and roads in southern Bali.

Uluwatu Temple and Beaches Walking Map

Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.

Location

This walk starts from a car park at the top of the cliffs by Nyang Nyang Beach. We took a Gojek taxi from our hotel in Jimbaran to the car park here. The drive took about 25 minutes and the driver didn’t have any problems finding the car park. We also took a Gojek taxi back from the end of the hike, from a cafe above Padang Padang beach. Alternatively, an easy option is to hire a private car with driver for the day*.

Nyang Nyang Beach

A 10-minute walk down a steep road brings you from the car park at the top of the cliffs to Nyang Nyang Beach (Tripadvisor Reviews*), a gorgeous stretch of golden sand looking out on the blue ocean. There are a few warungs (small cafes) selling drinks and simple dishes, but apart from that, this beach is very low-key and natural, almost untouched by man.

The beach stretches to your left as far as the eye can see, dramatically hugging the shoreline beneath the tall cliffs. You can walk as far as you want before returning to the entrance. Keep an eye out for the aeroplane parked at the top of the cliffs! We mask and snorkelled here, it was a bit rough and rocky, but the water was fairly clear and we did see a few nice fish.

When you’ve had enough of the beach, walk back up the steep road to the car park, then walk out to the main road.

Karang Boma Cliff

Once you reach the main road (Raya Uluwatu), turn left and almost immediately take the next left onto a smaller, peaceful road through some countryside and villages. After 1 km you’ll reach the end of the tarred road and see a sign pointing the way to Karang Boma Cliff along a flat dirt track. It’s to the right of the locked gate straight ahead.

After another 400 metres, you’ll reach the Karang Boma Cliffs (Tripadvisor Reviews*) and the small motorbike parking area. There’s a little grassy camping area here, a toilet and on some days a small shop selling cold drinks. There are great views over the ocean, the cliffs, and to the right to Uluwatu Temple in the distance.

On the left, past the small hut and next to the cliffs, there’s a small hiking path through the fields and trees. It’s slightly hidden, but don’t miss it like some people do, the views of the Uluwatu cliffs are great! The path follows close to the cliff edge, and there are some spots with views through the trees. Soon you’ll come to an open area with even better views of the Karang Boma Cliffs. It’s only about 300 metres along the trail. Do be careful not to stand too close to the cliff edge! Return the way you came, all the way back to the main road.

Uluwatu Temple

At the main road turn left and in roughly 1 km you’ll reach the large car park and entrance of Uluwatu Temple. There’s a surprisingly great cafe on the left just before the entrance, Three Steps Coffee.

Uluwatu Temple (Tripadvisor Reviews*) is open 8am to 6pm and tickets cost IDR 30,000 (roughly $2). The price of the entrance ticket includes a sarong to borrow for your visit. You don’t need to buy one yourself – the ladies in the car park will harass you slightly about this.

Uluwatu Temple is also known as Pura Luhur Uluwatu and is one of Bali’s most sacred temples. It’s famous for its dramatic location on the cliff tops. The inner sanctuary is not open to casual visitors but there is still a lot to see and explore in the temple complex.

Walking Route through Uluwatu Temple

Once in the temple grounds, it’s worth making a large loop of the temple complex. First head left through some forest and then down to the cliff edge. Keep a lookout for turtles swimming in the ocean far down below – we saw many from the cliffs of Uluwatu Temple. Walk right, along the top of the cliffs, and you’ll come to the main section of the temple. We left the cliff edge to explore more of the buildings, and then returned to the cliffs once again to walk along the lovely path.

We continued to the viewpoint at the far end, where you can look back at Uluwatu Temple across a bay of steep golden cliffs and sparkling blue water. After this we headed to the exit of the temple, returned the sarongs, and had a coconut in one of the shops by the car park.

There is a famous fire dance at Uluwatu Temple in the evening. You can book tickets for this*, or book tickets that also include a guided sunset temple tour*. These tours are great ways to experience some of the traditional rituals that still go on here.

After leaving the temple, turn left on the main road to visit the many beaches in Uluwatu. After almost 1.5 km, take the branch of the road that heads left, and is signed towards Uluwatu Beach and Pantai Suluban.

Suluban Beach

At the end of the road leading off from the main road, you’ll come to a small car park for motorbikes. Head down the steps through the little car park on a small trail to reach Suluban Beach (Tripadvisor Reviews*). This beach is very tiny and is more of a launch point for surfers than anything else. It is worth seeing though, as the waves crash into and around the half-open cave that you’re standing in.

Head a short distance out of the cave/beach area and turn left towards the collection of surfers’ hostels and cafes. Most of the cafes here have great views over the ocean and you can sit sipping on a cold drink while watching the surfers ride the waves.

Once refreshed, head up and out of the little village via a different set of steps that will take you up to another small motorbike car park. Continue on this small road and you’ll reach the main road again. Head straight along this road and in 500 metres you’ll see a dirt road and some signs for Thomas Beach on your left.

Thomas Beach

From the main road, there’s a dirt track leading towards the path down the cliffs to Thomas Beach (Tripadvisor Reviews*). Head down the steps by the warung (small shop) to reach the beach, whilst admiring the views on the way. There are many cafes here, each renting out sun loungers with umbrellas. There’s a short stretch with non of these if you only want to stay a short time. It’s a nice place for swimming, but the waves can be quite strong and most of the time the ocean is too sandy for mask and snorkelling.

Once you’ve cooled off, head back to the main road the way you came (the little path to the left leads eventually to a closed gate, so don’t go this way). Head left and in just under 1.5 km you’ll reach the steps down to Padang Padang Beach.

Padang Padang Beach

Unlike the other beaches, where you only pay for parking, everyone has to pay to visit Padang Padang Beach (Tripadvisor Reviews*). It’s not very much, but I can see why they charge because it can be very crowded. The beach is not that large, though it is very scenic. There are cafes on the beach and the ocean is quite calm here so it’s nice to swim.

After visiting Padang Padang Beach we climbed back up to the top and headed left a short distance to have some food at Cempaka Cafe and Homestay (Tripadvisor Reviews*). From here we ordered a Gojek taxi (the Indonesian version of Uber) back to where we were staying, a cute little place in Jimbaran Beach.

Our Gojek driver told us that we’d been clever walking a short distance away from the top of Padang Padang Beach because there’s a taxi mafia there who stop Gojek (or Grab) drivers operating in that little zone so that they themselves can charge very high prices. Even though it’s not very far and the journey to Jimabaran could take 20 minutes without traffic, in the afternoons the traffic is often very bad and we took almost 50 minutes to cover this short distance. We arrived back in Jimbaran just before sunset, which we watched from a cafe on the beach.

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For more tips and ideas, see the Best Hikes in Bali, Cycling in Bali, Bali Two Week Active Itinerary or our Bali Guide for all the hikes and bike rides we did in Bali.